A chapter uploaded on the first of the month! How about that, eh?
Hello again! BUI chapter 32 has arrived, and is ready to be read in all it's glory! I think I did an alright job getting this out, despite being sicker than a dog this week. As I'm feeling better now, it feels right to unleash this upon the world!
Let's get those reviews done with, and then jump in!
whwsms: There are so many disturbances in the force throughout this story, that if all the girls could feel it, they'd likely have gone crazy by now. As for Mugino seeing though Aleister's ranking-act... well, when not blind with rage, Mugino can be quite perceptive, you know?
DNWorks: Glad you do; A bunch of people pointed out that I basically invented this ship, so I'm entertaining the thought a little bit. As for who wins? Who knows!
Xperior: You can do it! I believe in you!
Agent Nine: I wouldn't say "Wholesome," but not full "lewd" either. I nominate the phrase "lewdsome," though that sounds worse... but I like it! Lessar is a strange beast that, if made to not be such a sexual deviant, she wouldn't be Lessar anymore! Developing her needs a careful hand...
Anime-ted Life116: it's stated that she's 12 in the current canon, but this is me playing around with her age because she hasn't confirmed it at all. But, of course, as said that makes her roughly a year older than that here, and not outside the realm of possibility of being involved with someone Touma's age. If one would like to think of this as a strange AU where Kinuhata is a year or two older, then go for it!
fafnir1404: No, it's fine. The shipping seas are a vast land full of war that shall not be settled until Kamachi settles it for us... if he does at all. Thanks for reading!
Animan10: Kuhahahahaha! That's right; if I'm making you consider this strange ship as a possibility, then I'm doing my job right!
Healthcare: Personally I'm waiting for Kinuhata Part 7: Steel Hamazura Run. I hear that Kinuhata Part 8: Muginolion is good, but it's not done yet. Yeah, cutting into Academy City's Darkness and certain character's pasts there aren't that touched on, at least not in stories that involved Kamijou Touma, anyway. I just thought of adding little bits of that in here, just so Kinuhata can get across just how much our little Kamijou-chan means to her. And I think it worked!
G119: Glad to see you again! I have to admit; I am seriously tickled when I hear of anyone who were fans of "Forgotten" from so long ago are still around and following me. I dropped off the face of this site for a rather long time, and it seriously makes me smile that I, ironically, haven't been forgotten myself! Seriously; thanks for the support, thanks for waiting for my return, and of course, thanks for reading!
Sergio644: Glad you had fun!
Ravenala: Like, maximum lit. She is surprisingly fun to write for, let me tell you!
YozakuraKyou: I see that you have cast your vote in the shipping war! Fufufufufu!
wildarms13: The two do have an odd little dynamic here, don't they? Something about the duo just clicks to me.
Faker83: As she is extremely new (And seemingly doesn't even need Bust Upper to begin with), more than likely not. I am nowhere near familiar with her enough to be comfortable in using her.
MrQuestionMark: Kinuhata is something of a fun character that I really like to use, so it makes me happy that her association with Touma has worked out so well. She strikes me as a character who has gone through hell, accepted that it happened, but is very far from "proud of it," or anything like that. And I'm playing around with that in a certain way... and it seems like it's working!
shiroryuu012: Sorry, aside from her appearance in Kinuhata 1 waaaay back, I have no intention of Bust-Upping Mugino. Just not enough time for the things I wish to cover before the end.
Dog: ...I feel like I should just nod and accept at this point. Thanks for approving!
RandomFicLover: Glad I made their companionship feel that good! Ah, the topic of how it will end... I wonder who knows that? Fufu!
Mr. X: 1. I was, because it was certainly rude, and just announcing that you're not doesn't suddenly make you not rude. In this wonderful world of growing boobs, no one's preferences shall be judged! That is my holy decree!
2. It's just how it sounded, sorry for assuming. I do have a plan for Ishtar, but... we'll wait and see.
3. I've already explained my bit for this above.
4. I already have one, thanks.
5. I have read it! It was great, and the dart-game is easily my favorite scene of slice-of-life in the series!
6. It'll happen; I ask that you be patient. Everything is done and released when the time is right, and not a second sooner.
Guest (1): Indeed... I wonder if I can make it to the end!
rm928: Glad your likeing my work with Kinuhata, my friend!
uzumaki Naruto: People sure to like the kissing scenes, huh?
samkwan127: Hehe, Thanks. Misaki is fun, but awfully hard to write for, and I couldn't really find many ways to make her click... but when I get an idea, I think it works!
cat: I'm just going to leave a bowl of warm milk here and say thanks for reading!
fancer29: Touma does have a tendency to encounter younger girls, doesn't he?
touma and misaki: Touma does sorta have that feel, eh?
Fou: ...There there -pet- That's a good Cath Plug. No primate murdering necessary... right?
Komoe Fanboy: Sorry, but outside of the occasional appearance, I don't have too many plans on focusing on just her.
cbustroyer: Indeed, anything could happen!
Someperson: I have made you "feel," and it is my greatest ability that I wield! Kuhahahahahahaha! Yeah, It has been a while since Birdway, hasn't it?
BlueHead Idiot: This right here is a troll account that my proofreader, Zeus, uses. Please give him warm and fluffy messages of thanks in your reviews please!
Guest (2): Not sure, as aside from one, I think the rest are mostly cool with it... and it's often times not Touma's fault they were stuck like that, after all.
Guest (3): Plans in the future are mostly set, but i'll look over my plots carefully and see if I can. I just can't make promises.
And with that done... enjoy!
If there was an average high school boy you could find anywhere, then clearly there must be an average high school you could find anywhere to match him. That would be the sensible assumption, right?
This was one: it had a name, of course, but as it wasn't one of the more prestigious of institutions in Academy City, few would the remember what it was. The most its students and teachers cared about was that they went there, and not much more. That wasn't to say it was poor; far from it. The fact was that it had stiff competition in comparison to others in the city of science. It was just average in every sense of the word; you could pick it up and drop it in any random town anywhere in Japan and it'd fit right in as if it had always been there. In this city, it made it both easy to find, but hard to remember, a curiosity in of itself that betrayed its very "normal" nature, and furthermore, it held even more curiosities that received schooling within its walls.
The girl with chestnut-brown hair that stood in front of its gates was there for one of those curiosities.
"…It hasn't changed much since I was last here, huh? That's probably not a bad thing, but seeing it unchanged even after that old man destroyed it just leaves me with the feeling that I've been running around in circles for the past year."
Misaka Mikoto stood before a certain high school with her arms crossed. She was in her third year of middle school by this point, which meant that soon she would be ascending to the next stage of her time in Academy City's educational system. The process itself was much like college, applying and seeing if you'd be accepted, but selection of one's school was a little more intricate. There were two methods one could investigate the facility outside of the sales-pitch method of looking them up online: One was a scheduled trial enrollment, where one would enter the school on an active day and "sit-in" on lessons, getting a taste of what classes were like there, and the other was a "selection" event that some of the schools would put on to entice students to register. For Misaka Mikoto on this day, it was the latter; it was as simple as putting forth a permission form, and since it was to further her education (Even if this specific facility would be quite the downgrade from Tokiwadai), they had no grounds to refuse it… provided she showed up, of course, but as she was right outside its front door, such a thing would hardly be an issue for her.
Her reason for this school chiefly was because of a certain spiky haired boy that also went there. Although she had been looking at more "relaxed" schools anyway; the stuffy atmosphere of Tokiwadai, something that'd likely persist if she stuck with the upper-class education system, was starting to get to the point of suffocating.
Although in this venture, she was not alone.
"This is it, hmm?" Uiharu muttered as she walked, looking over a map on her phone.
"No doubt about it," Saten spoke up next. "It's bigger than our middle school, that's for sure…"
The last to make a statement was Kuroko. "Naturally; there are fewer high schools, so they need more space to put students in. Dealing with the masses is a necessity in this day and age, and it's supposed to help you adjust to that."
"Oh? Really?"
Kuroko nodded before Uiharu sighed. "I can't help but feel like that's an accident, not their actual intention, though…"
Yes, the three girls who routinely surrounded the Railgun were with her on this day and had mostly similar reasons to boot. Kuroko was just there because of Mikoto, of course, but the other two were genuinely considering enrolling in this certain high school of implied normalcy, and they were doing so with much more honest intentions.
"I have to say though…" Saten rubbed her back a little. "I'm still getting used to this… physique change."
"I still blame you for egging those two on, Saten-san." Uiharu glared.
"A-ahahahaha! Sorry, sorry! I forgot about the permanent part of the rumor!"
"There's none of that; he outright told us and you had him do it anyway!"
"…Oh, come on! What were the chances that one of us would end up being permanently affected!? Let alone both of us!"
What they were referring to was their swollen chests, caused by the infamous Bust Upper. Normally temporary, a very select few where blessed (Or cursed, depending on your viewpoint) with an everlasting boost to their bustline. As it would happen, Saten and Uiharu were in the eternal-bust-up club, while Mikoto and Kuroko were not. The built-up animosity towards this fact leaked from the Railgun's body from time to time, but she tried her best to keep it in check. It wasn't even really directed at them… hell, she couldn't even focus it on Kamijou Touma; it was that blond bastard that kidnapped him for an afternoon's fault.
"…That idiot is always getting into trouble." She remarked in an annoyed tone.
"Idiot, huh? What does Kamijou-san have to do with this?" Saten blinked.
"Oh, him?" Kuroko spoke rather plainly. "He goes here. He'd likely be a second year by now."
"Is that so?" A smug smile creeped across the black haired girl's lips. "Hoping for a classical high school romance, are we?"
"W-what's it to you!?" Mikoto parked out on accident. Upon realizing that she had revealed her true intent, she quickly began to cough. "I-I mean… I'm just l-looking over all my options! After this school year, I'll be joining them too, you know!"
"Says the third ranked level 5 that any school would literally kill to have enroll."
The deadpan sarcasm made Mikoto wince.
"Onee-sama," Kuroko began. "While I understand trying to earn his favor for us is a noble goal, I do think you should focus more on which facility will grant you the best education. Acting based on emotion is more suited in the sanctity of one's home, not their life decisions."
"Like hell I want to hear advice like that from you! And what do you mean 'us!?'" The Railgun roared.
Saten stepped in-between them. "Ok, let's try and keep it calm; we haven't even gone inside yet! Shirai-san; let Misaka-san decide what she wants to do. We only get one childhood, after all!"
"Besides; if we all transferred here, we'd all be in the same school!" Uiharu chimed in.
"…I suppose going into criminology wouldn't need a high-end degree." Kuroko crossed her arms, although she was far from convinced.
Mikoto began to smile at the thought but shook her head. "Hey, don't let where I'm going choose for you. If you want to go to a certain place, do it; if I head in here for real, it'll be for myself, you know. There's no reason for me to drag any of you down on my own sinking ship, right?"
"Onee-sama…!" The twin-tailed teleporter clasped her hands together and stood on awe, as if the messiah had suddenly appeared before her. The Railgun tried her best to ignore the girl's antics and pressed on.
"Well, we have no reason to just stand out here, let's-!"
"Oh my, oh my! Look who we have here!"
She immediately felt nails on a chalkboard inside her mind as that honey-like voice called out to her. To her left, the second level 5 of Tokiwadai, Shokuhou Misaki, was approaching them. She had one person with her, Hokaze Junko, but more than likely the rest of her clique was somewhere nearby if she was appearing out in the open so much.
"…What are you doing here, Shokuhou?" She growled. "I won the rights to this place, remember?"
"So mean!" Misaki wined. "Today is a day that anyone can walk up and see what's about the school, remember?"
Mikoto bit her lip; her appearing was the worst possible scenario. Kuroko trying to setup some kind of three-way relationship she could handle with a few sparks, but Shokuhou Misaki was another story. Unlike the former, who was just a pervert trying to get what she wanted, the latter was legitimately attracted to the unlucky moron… although she never really understood why.
Even if Touma attracted women like flies, there was usually a "reason" for them to flock to him. That was something that Shokuhou lacked, and it put her on edge.
Well… there was one, but the Mental Out would be damned before letting the brown haired girl in on her personal secrets. Junko knowing was acceptable, if embarrassing, but if Misaka Mikoto found out, she'd die on the spot.
"…Whatever, do what you want." The Railgun opened the front gate and stepped in, followed by her friends.
"Your dismissal-ability is as high as ever!" Misaki did the same, gradually coming up to walk alongside the chestnut girl, causing her irritation.
"Buzz off," She fired back. "There's an idiot I'm trying to track down, and I don't need you hovering around me!"
"Onee-sama," Kuroko quickly walked up to her right and handed her an envelope. "I have included a map of the facility, as well as a detailed itinerary for Kamijou Touma on any given day. Considering the special events for today, I have made a special secondary schedule for where he might be and at any one time, for your convenience."
Mikoto took the envelope and looked inside briefly before closing it again.
"…Kuroko?"
"Yes, Onee-sama?"
"Thank you, but never do this again."
"Understood."
The reason Kamijou Touma was there at all was due to the special event itself. While it was scheduled to be an off day for the students to allow their underclassmen to thoroughly explore the school and its facilities, there was some volunteer work that, if interested, the students could partake in. The only ones that were forced were those who had some form of detention. Despite this though, there was a healthy number of students were still in the area, much more than one would expect. Some were cleaning while others helping the teachers direct the other middle schoolers who were showing interest in the various subjects taught there.
Kamijou Touma's class was different, however. As it wasn't a specialist class, as in that it didn't focus on any specific subject other than the Esper program, there was little for them to show off. So instead, they were selling food: Three fried dumplings for five-hundred yen, made with fillings right in front of the customer! Bonus dumplings for bulk purchases, guaranteed to be better than what you could get in the cafeteria!
…They wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for the fliers left around the school, though. It was debatable how selling food better than the cafeteria's own stock worked as an advertisement, but the group felt that questioning it would just give them few answers a headache for the trouble.
Besides, they were saying the food was exceptional. That was a very clear indication that if anyone was cooking, then it was none other than Touma himself.
They arrived at the doors to the titular Kamijou's classroom when someone else exited; a familiar face to some, an unknown one to most.
"…What are you doing here?" Mikoto approached the mysterious Kinuhata Saiai with a look of light trepidation; what was someone from Academy City's dark side doing in an average high school?
The bobcut girl reacted by holding out a plastic bag. "Buying dumplings, what super else would I be here doing?"
"R-right," Mikoto sighed. In retrospect, that actually was a bit of a dumb question. "I'm surprised; even if you go to an actual school, I didn't think you'd actively look into where to go just yet."
"More or less, but I'm just in one on super paper though; this is just me taking advantage of a technicality."
Misaki remained silent; she didn't know who this girl was, but the Railgun's reaction to her was peculiar. The rest of the girls showed brief interest before beginning to talk casually amongst themselves, only making brief observations to the discussion between the three espers.
"What kind of technicality are you using then?" Mikoto crossed her arms, feeling a little bit more confident knowing that the girl before her wasn't here on business.
"Lets me swing in and pay someone a visit when they ended up super forced into it." Kinuhata jabbed her thumb back toward the classroom door, and just as she did so, it opened.
Kamijou Touma stepped out in his normal school uniform, although he was also sporting a white apron with his school's logo on it and a hairnet containing his spiky hair. He was in the process of taking it off when he noticed the gathering outside his classroom. His titular sunglasses hung from his face casually.
"Hmm? You're still here?" Touma called out to the bobcut girl. "Oh? Misaka-san and Shokuhou-san are here, too? What are several Ojou-sama doing in Kamijou-chan's average school?"
"Hey, not all of us are in rich private schools, you know!" Saten took full interest now that the man of the hour had arrived and threw out a playful jab.
"R-right, sorry about that, Saten-san…" The unlucky Kamijou sighed.
"To answer your questions though," Shokuhou spoke up. "We're just looking over all our options. After this school year, most of us will be going to high school too, after all! You never know; a lower end facility might actually give us exactly what we are looking for!"
Mikoto glared at Shokuhou a little; that was the same excuse she had given to her friends, but here it actually seemed to be working. It irked her a little with how easily she could talk to people.
"That so? Well, I can't say anything about the quality, but it's a friendly place, if anything else." Touma smiled a little.
"What are you doing out here though?" Kinuhata asked. "Aren't you super supposed to be super manning the fryer?"
"Employee swap-out; I'm on break," he answered. "Using the opportunity to pay the little boys room a visit. Sorry that it's not something more special like 'I've been freed from my chains of oppression!' or something like that, Saiai."
"Eh, that's fine… though if you want to spice things up a little, I have a few super ideas for you, Touma."
Mikoto twitched a little as her mind processed this information. "S-since when were they on a first-name basis!?" Her mind echoed the thought a few times. Ultimately though, she decided that it was a minor thing and calmed down…
…At least until the bobcut girl raced over and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"H-hey! Give me a little bit of warning, ok!?" Touma remarked.
"I just wanted to super do something, that's all~"
She then slipped off his sunglasses for some Bust-Upping action, irritating the watching Misaka Mikoto even more. Slowly, Kinuhata's normally flat chest began to push out rather dramatically, forcing her usual sweater dress to rise and reveal her black shorts she casually wore in anticipation of a run-in with the unlucky Kamijou. It got to the point where her swelling chest touched the boys own and squished against it just a little bit before she placed the shades back on the boy and jumped away from him.
"…You're going to stretch out all of those at this rate, you know that, right?" Touma remarked.
"Eh, you like it," She shrugged, seemingly happy with herself. "Didn't want to go too big; just enough to entice you with a super surprise cleavage shot. D-cup is enough for me today."
"You sure you don't want to shoot for E's?"
"…Do you super want me to shoot for E's?"
Touma laughed a little and rubbed his neck. "If we go on this route, I think we'll be here all day, and I have a time limit before Fukiyose throws something at me… I'll see you later, Saiai!"
"Take care, Touma! Don't work too hard!" Touma nodded and raced to the restroom while Kinuhata took off, moving past the group.
"…S-since when…" Mikoto was unconsciously making fists hard enough to turn her knuckles white. "…Were those two… so close…!?" She turned, watching the bobcut girl run out of the building. "That little…!" Mikoto began to spark when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Calm thyself," Misaki spook rather coolly. "They have not sealed a day of any kind, despite their closeness ability."
"…You peeked, didn't you?" The Railgun asked.
"Indeed, but I did not do a thing more, I promise," The Mental Out replied. "However… it seems those two have a tendency to have rather… fateful encounters, to say the least."
Slowly, the rest of the girls began to fully notice the two discuss the status quo, although the two seemed off in their own little world.
"…How bad?" Mikoto narrowed her eyes.
Misaki did the same. "They have slept in the same bed, although not in the way you would think at first. She appears to be rather forward but heartfelt in her approach, combining sexuality and personal emotion into one. I cannot check Kamijou's mind at the moment, but I would assume for their relationship ability to reach such a point, he must have appreciated it."
"Damn it all…!"
"I agree; in a race such as this, one pulling ahead so drastically is unacceptable."
They were quiet for a moment, but the irritation wafting from their bodies was almost enough to manifest physically before them. It faded first from the blonde, who leaned in close to the brown haired girl.
"I have a suggestion… although be forewarned; it is absolutely underhanded."
"What is it?" Mikoto didn't seem to care.
"It is very simple; two heads are better than one, after all."
The girl with chestnut-brown hair caught on rather quickly. "…Together, huh?"
"I do not suggest such a thing lightly; if there were anyone else readily available and just as far along as you, I would seek them out instead… but, as they say; desperate times call for desperate measures."
"You sure it'll even work?"
"Every boy thinks about what it'd be like to have multiple girls at once, even if they don't seriously consider it… we play the part a little bit and close the gap… then he picks from one of us instead of some other girl. It would be better to directly know your competition, right?"
"…There is some way you're trying to rig this in your favor…" Mikoto remarked. "…But right now, I think I can take that risk."
"Oh? Not even an attempt to use your negotiation ability?"
"I really don't care for that girl getting so close to him," She wasn't lying, and it wasn't necessarily because of the competition for Kamijou Touma's heart either. "And… as much as I hate to admit it, I'm not very good at romance."
"…While I am?" Misaki asked, receiving a nod. "Well now! A compliment from Misaka Mikoto herself; I never thought I'd see the day."
"Yeah, well; don't get used to it," The Railgun remarked quickly. "How… do we exactly go about this…?"
"The same way that girl has… little bit of feminine ability combined with some genuine emotion and casual conversation… I'm sure after all you've been through with him, you should be able to get that second one down right away."
Mikoto perked up a little as she turned to glance at her apparent partner. She knew that Misaki knew about the sisters, but hearing that she had knowledge of at least some of her dealings with Touma was surprising. Just how wide was her information network? And just how much did she know?
"Come along now," Misaki prompted. "Let's get inside and make ourselves at home. An opportunity is sure to present itself at his current place of work, after all!"
The two walked off as their friends watched. They started whispering for the second half, but some of what they discussed leaked out anyway.
"…Aren't they getting along so well?" Junko beamed.
"J-just how is that getting along…!?" Saten remarked, only receive a confused head-tilt for her effort.
It was going to be a long day, wasn't it?
-0-
"W-what are you doing here!?"
"Making dumplings, want some?"
The question was directed from one Misaka Mikoto to another Lessar Robinson (Though the question of whether or not that was her real last name was still unanswered), as she was the one handling the dumpling fillings before they were fried.
"Not specifically here! I mean in this city at all!" The third ranked pressed.
The New Light mage shrugged. "Oh, that? Trying to get into a boy's pants. It takes a bit for him to get warmed up, you know?" It wasn't hard to figure out whom she was referring to.
Now Mikoto was sparking. "…Why are so many of you in one place…!"
"Oh, I'm guessing you met the bobcut?" Lessar spoke as she worked (Ironically, it was on Mikoto's own order), only looking up in-between finishing and handing off her creations. "She seemed nice; she knew how to handle Kamijou well. Those two were flirting pretty hard. Too bad she's a rival; I felt like we could have been friends." She made a "shooting gun" motion, implying she planned to take Kinuhata out eventually.
"Hey, if yours are done, move up in the line!" The loud voice from Fukiyose rang out; she appeared to be running the show. She glared lightly at the appearance of the Railgun, but she quickly switched gears back to her professional side. She kept the whole operation running smoothly for what it was worth.
Mikoto grimaced briefly; she thought that paying his school a visit would be a good way to earn points, so why were so many of her other rivals under the same roof!? If she sat down and found that nun working as a waitress, she'd likely burst and take the whole school with her. Thankfully, Index was nowhere in sight, so the city would be free of a cataclysmic power outage… for now.
Though something odd was going on ahead at the wrapping section at the end.
"Hmm? So, it's working out then?" Misaki blinked.
"For the most part," A boy known as Aogami Pierce remarked. "Can't complain too much, I guess! It's certainly more laid back!"
"I suppose you never really cared about your grades or what they meant; seriously, your taking-it-easy ability is so high, if it wasn't you, I'd expect you to have flunked out by now."
"Give me some credit! I'm not trying to fail; I'm just trying to get private lessons from Komoe-sensei!"
"Seriously, you…"
Mikoto blinked a few times before speaking up. "Hold on… you two know each other?" She recognized the blue haired moron from a few of her misadventures in town with the unlucky Kamijou, and the Queen of Tokiwadai was the last person she'd suspect being an acquaintance of his.
"Eh. Not a whole lot, honestly," Aogami waved his hand in front of him. "Just enough to know each other, I guess."
"I'm more surprised that this is a thing; usually she brainwashes everyone she doesn't like into avoiding her."
"Then shouldn't you take a moment to consider that I don't hate him then? Honestly…" Misaki sighed. "Besides; don't you know who he is? He's-!"
"Sorry I'm late!" Touma suddenly burst into the room, breathing heavily. Those with keen eyes could see sweat beginning to form across his brow, even.
Fukiyose turned and narrowed her gaze at the unlucky Kamijou. "…What happened this time?"
"Accident on my trip to the restroom…"
"Before or after?"
"After; I swear."
Hearing that, she took a few moments to consider his testimony. "If I find out you're lying, I'm throwing you from the school roof. Have a seat until we cycle you back in."
"Thank you, ma'am."
The room had moved the desks to the sides of the area, and those that couldn't fit were used up front in putting the assembly line together or set outside. Some of the students brought in a few pieces of furniture and placed them throughout the room, although one that stuck out was a couch in the very back. It was apparently a donation to the group effort by Komoe-sensei herself; her personal couch that she brought from home to the teacher's lounge one day. All that she asked for was that it be returned, mostly intact, from where the students found it.
The little café-like setting appeared to be pretty popular, there were more than a few people choosing to hang around the classroom rather than take their goods to go. However, the couch was left unoccupied, and Touma decided to be the one to park his keister right on its soft cushions.
"And that," Misaki stated as she received her packaged dumplings. "Is what we call, 'an opportunity.' He's there, trying to relax after some hard work. What better way than to grant his wish by having two cute girls take a seat next to him?"
"Eh? Think so?" Mikoto was just getting hers fried up. "I mean… it's not like I don't want to sit next to him, but is something that casual really something special?"
"Oh, it most definitely is. What will seal the deal is familiarity; eventually, it goes from surprised to see you, to happy to see you, and then wanting to see you. My guess is that you're already happily snuggled into the second stage, and we just need to push ourselves into the third. Then magic can start happening."
"You sure do know a lot about this…"
"Of course; I've done my homework!" Misaki puffed out her chest a little. "As someone who's abilities involve the intricacies of the human mind, I'd like to think my understanding-ability of it is first rate!"
"I meant for someone I'm pretty sure has never actually had a boyfriend."
The Mental Out's ego deflated. "Listen here, you! Want my advice or not!?" She whispered roughly into the Railgun's ear.
"Not really; I'm not doing this for you. This is because it's necessary, remember?"
"I'm pretty sure we understood that from the start," Misaki pulled back. "Even if we're cooperating, we are in this for ourselves… and his happiness, of course."
That didn't seem fake, or at least Mikoto didn't think so. She still failed to understand the blonde's reason for seeking the unlucky Kamijou out, but there must have been some honest love in her heart for their shared romantic interest. Although, that reminded her of the Daihaseisai from a year ago; Misaki suddenly got very quiet when Touma appeared to the two of them before perking up and getting rather… forward with him. As a matter of fact, she knew his name right from the start, yet Touma didn't know her at all.
Stalking him was a possibility, but in that case, her reaction didn't make sense. Not to mention, as much as she hated to admit it, Shokuhou Misaki was very far from unattractive; if she genuinely pursued someone, aside from Kamijou and his strange situation, she'd almost certainly succeed. No, it seemed more like she was afraid of him when he first appeared and had to take a moment to think how to act in front of the spiky haired boy. But with her actively pursuing him now, something must have changed, right?
There was clearly some kind of hidden history between the two, but if so, then why didn't Kamijou Touma recognize her back then? And what had changed to make her so invested in being involved with him that she'd suggest and willingly team up with someone she absolutely despised to make it happen?
"Alright, here you go! Three fried dumplings!" Aogami interrupted her thoughts. "You can enjoy them here or someplace else! It's your call!"
"T-thanks," She grabbed the packaging after a moment. "…Hey, you're not going to mess with us over some kind of bull like 'Kamijou can't get a girlfriend before I do, let alone two!' today, right?"
"I thought about it, but Tsuchimikado ended up skipping out today, and it really doesn't feel right messing with Kami-yan without him," Aogami frowned and crossed his arms. "Though Lessar-chan will probably try something the moment she's rotated out."
"You're on a first-name basis with her?" Misaki asked.
"She's English, so that kind of thing is pretty normal all the way out there. Plus, we get along pretty well; she's a keeper, that one! Too bad though; there's only room in my heart for Komoe-sensei!"
"Right; you'll graduate and probably end up attached to another random girl."
"Doubt my love for my teacher at your own risk, number 5," He warned. "Take a wrong step, and you might end up seeing the power of my unbridled love!"
"I'll keep that in mind," Misaki nodded. "Let's go, Misaka-san."
Mikoto nodded and stepped away. Just who the hell was that guy, anyway?
"So… now what?" She asked.
"Very simple; as much as I hate to admit it, right now, he knows you more than me," She frowned. "Approach him as you would normally, and I shall follow up with you shortly. He might be surprised that we know each other; it will hurt, but we must act like we're friends for his sake, Misaka-san."
"…And you're sure this will close the gap?"
"This is just step one, but that doesn't make it any less important. For now, let's focus on getting him to use our first names. To do that means we've permanently etched ourselves into his heart, and then we can make a move to grasp it for ourselves."
Mikoto had to admit, a lot of what she was saying made sense. All she had to do was be normal… the only acting she was going to be doing was when Shokuhou cropped up.
From afar, Saten watched the two girls as they split up. "Interesting… very interesting…"
"What's happening?" Kuroko asked.
"Two-pronged attack on the fortress that is Kamijou Touma's heart, by the looks of things," the raven-haired girl remarked. "Seems like that girl from the hallway really got under their skin."
"And to think we thought we'd actually be getting a taste of the school…" Uiharu sighed.
"I think with Kamijou-san around, this is a good of a taste as we're going to get!" Saten grinned. "I'd like to help in a way that supports Misaka-san… but Shokuhou-san appears to be working with her… helping one but not the other is going to be hard…"
"Geh, Kamijou claiming two women is only acceptable if it's me and Onee-sama; no one else! I think we'll have to keep an eye on this…"
Misaki broke off to act as if she was going to speak with Junko, while Mikoto walked over to the unlucky Kamijou himself. He was leaning into the couch with his head looking toward the ceiling; whatever happened before must have stressed him out a great deal.
Rather than say hello, she simply took a seat, catching his attention. "Misaka? You're still here?" He sat up a little. "I figured you'd be off exploring the school, not hanging around here."
"Gee, I don't know… maybe there's a particular reason that I'd rather take a seat next to a certain someone? Who knows?"
"…You shouldn't base life decisions like school just because you like someone, Misaka-san."
"Eh, there are multiple factors," Mikoto crossed her legs. "Remember around Christmas? The dart game in the bar? I had to sneak away to make that happen; otherwise I would have been locked in my dormitory for forty-eight hours. It's stuff like that I'm trying to get away from."
"…On one hand, I should point out the obvious benefits from Tokiwadai… but on the other hand, that sounds like a prison to me."
"Exactly; and I doubt the high school variant would be much better," She paused to pop a dumpling into her mouth; it was surprisingly good. "It's almost like they're grooming us for something, and I honestly don't care much for it."
"Yeah, and you don't really act lady-like anyway."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean out of all the girls there, you behave the least like an ojou-sama. You act a lot more normal, I guess."
"…I guess a lot of the students are sheltered. I remember when you were with us during the heat wave; they were looking at you like you were an exotic pet they weren't sure if they should pet or feed." She smirked a little.
"Ha-ha. This Kamijou-san would like to be treated like a human being, please."
Mikoto shrugged. "I'm just saying that it's the culture driving me away. I can only imagine that it gets worse for high school…"
"I think I see what you mean… that's when hormones start getting out of control. I can imagine them having some rather strict measures to counteract that." Touma nodded.
"Besides; college can make up the difference pretty quickly," The Railgun nodded. "So, I might as well pick a school I enjoy. And if I find the company extra appealing, then it's a bonus."
"…I assume you mean me, right?"
"Uiharu-san and Saten-san were thinking about coming here, but if you want the extra points to your ego…"
"N-no, that's just fine. If I start developing something like that, I'm pretty sure I'll fall apart at the seams."
"I don't know; having some self-confidence could go a long way in impressing a girl, you know?"
"Something tells me that I don't need advice on that front," Touma sighed. "So, you came here just to see me, right?"
"For the record, I am shopping around; I'm not so blind as to just follow you like a dog," She closed her eyes and leaned back. "But coming here specifically today… yeah; you can say I'm here for you. I'll probably look around after a bit, but we could always do something later once this is all said and done if you're interested."
"Oh my; Biri-biri is going from shocking me to asking me out. I wonder how I should respond."
"If you put anymore deadpan into that, some people might question whether or not you're alive."
"Sorry, but looking back on how we interacted… Misaka-san was such a tsundere…"
"S-shut up!" A shade of crimson washed across her face briefly. "And you were a dense moron, so we're even!"
"…Still am, honestly; I had to be outright told about all of this," Touma rubbed his head. "This unlucky Kamijou doesn't change very much, I guess. Though Misaka-san has gone from sparking all over the place to hitting on me casually; I'm starting to think I've fallen behind on the personal-development front."
"Idiot; when you like someone, you try to get them to understand that indirectly." Her face turned a lighter shade of red than before.
"No, I get it," Touma rubbed his neck. "I guess I just always thought that something like someone falling for me was impossible… so whenever someone would drop hints, I would just convince myself that they didn't mean it in the way I thought. I don't exactly have that problem anymore, though."
"So, I guess you could say that your illusions have been shattered, huh?" Mikoto smirked.
"…Hey, are you making fun of me?"
"Not at all, I'm just over here snickering for no particular reason."
"You're totally making fun of me!"
"Never, not once."
"Liar!"
Before long, the Railgun started giggling. The more aggravated Touma got, the funnier it was to her. Shokuhou Misaki watched from afar, gauging their reactions. Yeah, Misaka Mikoto was right around in the spot of Touma's heart that she thought.
And thus, seeing an opportunity, she made her move to join the scene proper.
"Oh my, you two sure are being energetic," She spoke as she strolled on over. "Have a little bit of fun, are we?"
"Hey Shokuhou-san," Touma remarked, snapping out of his anger briefly. "I saw you earlier… you both were going the same way, huh? I'm guessing you two aren't strangers, then."
"Yeah, we know each other. It'd be pretty hard to avoid hearing about the other when you both end up going to the same school, right?" Mikoto remarked.
"Guess I'm just surprised. I hear about how the other level 5's interact with each other… wasn't expecting you two to be civil."
"Oh my, goodness no!" Misaki shook her head. "We're not as barbaric as to despise each other over something as simple as our ranking, right Misaka-san?"
"R-right." The Railgun nodded after almost dropping the ball. The Mental Out was clearly the better liar of the two, as she slunk on in like it was nothing. "We just have to act like this until we get closer to him… keep calm…" She thought to herself, popping another dumpling into her mouth. Honestly, they were good enough that she was considering buying more before she went home.
"Really? That's good! It'd be pretty awkward if you hated each other, right?" Touma nodded.
"You have no idea." Both girls thought in unison.
"Though, I haven't seen you two together before…"
"Oh, that's just the luck of the draw, I suppose," Misaki commented before taking a seat right next to the unlucky Kamijou. "I assure you; we are good friends! Our dispositions might be different, but our kinship is very much real!"
"Laying it on there pretty thick, don't you think?" Mikoto thought before speaking. "M-more or less! We usually hang out in the School Garden; I'm really the only one who ventures out to see the rest of the city."
"I guess that makes sense," Touma remarked. He shifted around a little, but finally came to the realization that both girls, who he had full knowledge of liking him, were sitting on both sides. "Although… well, maybe this is awkward anyway…"
"Hmm? Why would that be, Kamijou-san?" The starry-eyed blonde commented.
"Well, it's just… well…" He rubbed his neck. "You two… and me… you know…?"
"Oh; that. We already know."
"…Eh?"
"We said that we knew each other, right? As if we could hide something like that." Mikoto waved off the spiky haired boy as she finished her food.
"B-but… well… I mean…" Touma's rubbing got worse. "And you guys… see nothing wrong with that? Like, at all!?"
"What are you talking about?" Misaki tilted her head. "The only one making this awkward…"
"…Is you, idiot." Mikoto finished.
Touma froze where he sat and gradually let himself fall backward into the couch's softness.
"Good job with the finish, Misaka-san! Now he'll feel guilty about ruining a good time and try to make up for it!" Misaki thought to herself before deciding to try one of the dumplings.
"Seriously… it's just two girls. Don't get so bent out of shape, idiot." Mikoto's thoughts different, however. She reached into her bag for more, but discovered it empty before lamenting that she was given only three.
"But… if you really want us gone… well…" The Mental Out spoke with a frown.
"N-no! Seriously, if you want to be here, then stay!" Touma shot back up.
"We'll be in your care-ability then, Kamijou-san!" She smiled, and suddenly the unlucky boy felt very nervous.
"Ok… something's happening…" Touma thought to himself. "So… they both like me, and they both know the other likes me… but they're ok with it? But… no, no; put that thought out of your mind! Besides, you just want one girl, not two! Stop fooling yourself into thinking something's there when it isn't!"
Ironically, him reading too much into it revealed what was really happening, not that the girls made any kind of attempt to display the truth. However, the idea that they were jointly pursuing him had already seeped into his mind as a possibility, and while his mind said 'no' and was very much correct about that 'no,' the rest of his male body disagreed entirely with the 'no' and reasoned that there very much must be a particular reason for them suddenly approaching him both at once.
Well… there was, but it wasn't what he was thinking, anyway.
"He's blushing…" Mikoto commented internally. "…Is this little plan of hers actually working on him?"
"My… you've suddenly gotten very quiet, Kamijou-san," Misaki broke the silence. "Don't tell me that us being here is making you uncomfortable."
"N-no, it's not that!" He shook his head. "Just a little… flustered, I guess. I mean… two girls out of the blue suddenly getting super close is… well."
"Having naughty thoughts?" She giggled. "Your pervert-ability is as high as ever~"
"H-hey! I'm not exactly proud of it! It's just what popped into my head!"
"Well, if you want some honesty… I don't really mind you thinking of us in that way."
"Seriously," Mikoto crossed her arms and nudged herself so that her shoulder made contact with his. "You know we're into you; of course we're not going to be mad about us being on your mind."
"Exactly right!" Misaki did the same. "It seems like he might be a little frightened, thinking that he might accidentally set off a bomb in this situation."
"H-how could I not!?" Touma's face quickly grew flushed. "I have two cute girls rubbing themselves on me! H-how can I not be scared about screwing that up!?"
"Oh, did you hear that?" The honey blonde girl giggled. "He said we're cute!"
"He did; right to our faces too." The brown haired girl agreed.
"H-hey, wait a second!" The entirety of Touma's face was beet red now, and his eyes resembled swirls. He was close to an overload.
Misaki giggled. "Oh my! Maybe we should see if we could take him with us! Leaving him here like this would make me feel bad!"
Mikoto flushed red at the thought in her head but did her best to keep cool. "…Maybe we could take him to a place a little more… private."
"Oho! I like the way you think, Misaka-san!"
"N-no… hey… g-give me… a second here…!" Touma continued to protest even as he felt powerless before these two incredibly forward girls. Right now, his logical and hormonal sides were arguing over his next course of action. It started civil, but quickly resorted to name calling and harassment. Then it came to blows though; personifications of his moral and primal sides ripping apart parts of his brain to bash in the other in a never-ending conquest of what they believed was right.
Then, Touma decided that relying on delusions of his own overheated mind was likely a bad idea and began to speak up.
"C-can we slow down here!?" He called out. "I feel like I've seriously missed something here! And… and…"
He slipped back into a reclining position on the couch.
"I suddenly… don't feel so good…"
The two girls blinked and then stared at each other.
"…I think he might actually be sick." Mikoto remarked.
"I think so too…" Misaki remarked.
They stared at him for a bit with a growing look of worry.
"…I'll grab this side; you grab the other."
"Got it." The Mental Out nodded and put one arm across her shoulder while Mikoto did the same.
As they stood up to help the sickly teen out, a voice called out to them. "You hold it right there!"
Ah, that's right. Aogami did give them a warning earlier, didn't he?
The moment Lessar was rotated out, she immediately hopped over the table and walked over to the unlucky Kamijou, only to see the two girls handling him so gingerly. Lessar had to give them credit; wearing him out mentally and then hauling him off so that they could have their way with him was rather clever. However, they did not face the typical suitor; they faced a great Magician of New Light, and the only person that was going to claim the boy's virginity was her!
Multiple partners would come maybe about a month into their relationship, though, but not a second sooner! Seeing these two girls skip straight to sharing him angered her at a conceptual level.
"…Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" Mikoto sparked.
"If you can give her a good jolt, I might be able to do something about her." Misaki slipped one hand into her bag.
"Don't waste your time! You might have weakened him, but that only helps me! You've given the greatest opportunity in the world to none other than Lessar!" The perverted girl then leapt toward the three, intent on tackling them and making off with the unlucky Kamijou while they were distracted.
However, an iron wall stood in her way. An iron wall slammed a powerful punch straight into her stomach, and the strength of that iron wall was so immense, she slammed into the ground, bounced and hit the ceiling, and finally recoiled off that and hit the white board behind the cooking station. Slowly, Lessar peeled off and hit the tiled floor as the iron wall cracked her knuckles.
"Yeah right; good luck getting away with that on my watch! We're supposed to be setting an example for these kids, you moron!" Fukiyose howled in a way that seemed more like she was intimidating the others to stay in line rather than taunt the (likely) unconscious Lessar.
Saten, who was watching from afar, let out a nervous laugh. "You call that setting an example!?" She spoke low so that only her friends would hear her.
"…If she had entered that tournament, I probably would have lost to such a high raw strength-ability." Misaki blinked a few times.
"I think I know why Kamijou keeps calling her an amazon woman…" Mikoto did the same.
Slowly, Fukiyose turned. "…What happened to Kamijou?"
"No idea, he suddenly just felt sick," The Railgun answered. "Now he's all flushed and can barely move or open his eyes."
"I think it's safe to say that he's in no condition to work a moment further. Please tell me that this school's nurse is available. It is, right?" Misaki added.
"…Well, he does look terrible…" Fukiyose crossed her arms. "…He didn't have you two give him something to make him sick to weasel out of this, right?
"What!?" Mikoto sparked threateningly. "He's here, barely able to move, and you immediately accuse him of setting this up!?"
"You kidding!? Aogami broke his leg to get out of the yearly five-kilometer run!"
"…She's joking, right?" Misaki looked around the iron wall girl to focus on the blue haired idiot.
"What can I say? Us otaku don't like using our legs!" Aogami put his hands on his hips, as if he was proud of it.
Her point proven, Fukiyose let out a huff. "So yes, I'm more than a little bit suspicious when suddenly something bad happens conveniently at the right time so that they can escape!"
"Well whatever," Mikoto shook her head. "We're going."
"Not yet you're not. I'm making sure he didn't have anything on him."
"Forgive me if this seems rude, but he's terribly ill, and you're just going to let him wallow in suffering because you think it's fake?"
"I told you, I have a very good reason-!"
"Screw your reasons!" Mikoto roared. "He can't move, damn it! You can search him after we make sure he's not dying of something!"
"Quit being over dramatic! He's not leaving this room, and that's final!"
"Well then, little miss forehead, it seems like we've reached an impasse." Misaki suddenly had a dangerous look in her eyes. "Wouldn't you agree, Misaka?"
"The only thing to do here…" The same hazardous gleam appeared in Mikoto's as well. "…Is to blast apart the barrier, right?"
It was a standoff to end all stand-offs: two high-ranking espers and a single amazon woman with herculean strength. Not a student dared to utter a single word, for fear of receiving these powerful women's ire. The tension in the room was thick, and no one knew who'd strike first.
Then, the door opened.
"Ok! Your sensei has returned with more supplies- w-what is happening in here!?" Komoe-sensei wandered in, carrying several bags of food, only to find her students (Both prospective and current) shuttering in fear, Lessar unconscious on the floor, and three girls about ready to go at each other's throats while Touma looked ready to vacate his mortal body for the last and final time.
"Sensei!" Aogami spoke up cheerfully. "Girls are fighting over Kami-yan while he's sick again!"
"Again!?" Every single person foreign to this particular classroom had the same thought at the same time.
"Eh!? He's sick!?" The tiny pink haired teacher set her supplies down and raced over.
Mikoto blinked a few times before she reacted to the tiny woman's appearances. "E-eh!? It's the grade schooler trying to pass off as a teacher!"
"…But she is our teacher." The raven-haired amazon remarked.
"H-how is that possible! I'm not the only one who sees someone who's no higher than a fifth grader, right!?" Mikoto pointed profusely before something struck her mentally and soured her mood even further. "…And this is supposedly the girl you have a crush on, isn't it!?" She pointed right toward the blue haired idiot just as he handed goods to another customer.
"Of course! She's so young, but technically legal! It's the perfect example of a legal-loli right before my very eyes! As someone who can see the appeal of any feminine build, she definitely has loads of allure only someone with her body type can provide!" Aogami grinned without so much is a stutter. "Although… you have your own special appeals too, Miko-chan!"
Misaka Mikoto suddenly felt a very, very slimy gaze upon her, and every instinct in her human form urged her to run out of the room as quickly as possible.
Komoe simply sighed. "Please stop with your silly delusions…" She remarked as she examined the unlucky Kamijou. "Oh no… this looks bad…! P-please, carry him this way! I'll show you the way to the nurse's office!"
"Sensei! He could be faking it like whatever Tsuchimikado pulled to get out of this in the first place!" Fukiyose argued.
"Don't be ridiculous; this isn't like with Aogami-chan and the javelin! You can't just take a pill and suddenly get sick!"
"But sensei-!"
"No buts! Sick is sick, and that's it!" Komoe ended the argument before looking towards the downed Lessar. "Is she…?" She watched as the perverted girl slowly climbed to her feet, shook a little, and then fell over again. "We'd better take her too… It's a good thing that there are separate rooms…"
Fukiyose mumbled; she was likely on Lessar-collection duty, and on top of that, this meant that it's three of the four idiots had escaped their punishment.
"Don't worry, I'll hold down the fort! Good luck, you guys!" Aogami waved goodbye as the little group left. Junko seemed to be in awe over the two Tokiwadai girl's effective combination, while the Railgun's three associates simply hung back and observed.
"Well… that's random…" Saten remarked. "I've heard of sudden illness, but never THAT fast…"
"I agree… that almost sounds like…" Uiharu trailed off when she heard Kuroko cackling behind her.
"That's right… all according to plan…" The twin-tailed teleporter held her hands together in her lap with a smug look painted upon her form. "It's too bad the Mental Out left with them too, but I already have an idea to deal with that…"
The flower-head-banded girl turned with a look of horror. "Y-you didn't…!"
As if to crush Uiharu's hopes, Kuroko revealed a small tin container. She rattled it around, showing off that it was full of likely small supplements. "Anti-Skill's new prisoner suppression system works wonders, doesn't it?"
"…Prisoner suppression system?" Saten blinked.
"It's a series of supplements designed to cause temporary fever and fatigue to keep more hostile criminals at bay while in custody… we got a shipment of them, and she thought it'd be effective for when they go on patrol…" Uiharu looked disheartened by the turn of events to say the last.
It all came together; Kuroko teleported one of the pills into Touma's body while the two girls were flirting with him, and his sudden collapse was it finally taking effect.
Still, there was the question of morality of her actions… and Saten had a unique answer.
"Hey, Hokaze-san!" She called out, hailing the drill-haired girl over.
"Is there something you need? I was about to see if my Queen needed any further assistance."
To that, Saten pointed to the guilty party. "Shirai-san is the one who drugged Kamijou-san."
"Eh!?" The twin-tailed culprit twitched.
"More or less; she just admitted it." Uiharu did the same.
"Et tu, Uiharu!?"
Hokaze Junko raised one hand to rub her cheek. "My… this is awkward… I felt like we were good friends… but the Queen's orders are orders…"
The teleporter shot up to her feet. "W-what orders!?"
"To completely and utterly annihilate anyone who proved to pose a threat to Kamijou Touma's well-being," She remarked as she popped her knuckles. "No hard feelings, ok?"
"W-wait a second-!"
She was cut off as the class learned that there were two amazon girls in that classroom that day…
…Ironically, enrollment maxed out after this event. Investigation is ongoing if this incident was related.
-0-
"…So, that's how it is, huh…" Touma frowned with crossed arms as he laid in one of the nurse's medical beds.
Both girls stood at his bedside, the girl with chestnut-brown hair to his right, and the one with honey-blonde to the left. Touma had recovered about twenty minutes after the incident in question, and while he took him a bit to get his wits about him, he was now back at full health.
Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki looked rather guilty. With little else to go on, they thought that they had somehow done something to him inadvertently and, feeling responsible, confessed to their little plot of a partnership to make his mind spin out of control in their favor. Only after they had done so had Mikoto received a text from Saten explaining everything, and that Shirai Kuroko had been, "dealt with." She had no idea what that meant, but if it meant Kuroko wasn't going to be a pain for the rest of the day, she welcomed it, although this did little for her current situation; telling him only eased his mind for the event itself, not what lead up to it.
Thankfully, Lessar was contained in a secondary office, so there wouldn't be any interruptions… if the various members of the Mental Out's clique had anything to say about it as they stood guard outside.
"Can I… say something in our defense?" Mikoto asked cautiously.
"You don't need to," Touma sighed and rubbed the side of his face. "Saiai's boldness in public is likely what sparked this, right?"
"…Indeed," Misaki spoke next. "Forgive my rudeness-ability but being so cordial with her in front of other suitors is rather abrasive to our feelings, Kamijou-san."
"S-Shokuhou! You-!"
"No," Touma raised a hand to interrupt. "She has a point. Saiai was being forward and I let her do what she wanted, so of course you two would get jealous…" He sighed heavily. "I'm getting too comfortable around her… I swear…" He looked up to see the Mental Out making a smug face of satisfaction, angering the Railgun. "But that doesn't excuse what you two did! Playing with a boy's heart is a high crime, I say! High!" They both clammed up and returned to their guilty formations in the blink of an eye. "…I'm guessing the bit about you two being good friends was a lie too, huh?"
"Erm… s-sorry about that…" Mikoto rubbed her right arm nervously. Touma gruffly huffed and reclined a little in his bed.
"…Man, it's situations like this that makes me think it'd be easier just to stay single…"
Misaki grimaced a little and looked away, while Mikoto felt a knife turn in her gut. She had done the exact opposite of what she wanted in a crazy attempt to get closer to the boy in the bed before her. She wanted to curse herself for following along with the blonde's plan, but she looked just as guilty. Besides, even if Misaki had suggested the idea, it was her in her frantic state that had accepted it. She acted of her own free will, so she had no one to blame but herself.
"…But," Touma looked up. "Easier isn't necessarily better, you know?"
Mikoto's ears perked up. "Eh?"
"It can be easier to just let life run you over, but that doesn't mean that you'll be better off," He nodded. "In fact, it sure seems like to me it's often mutually exclusive. The post-card deal that says that to become a millionaire, you just need to give them your bank information is usually too good to be true for a reason."
"You're not… mad?"
"I am a little, but in the end… you both did this to get closer to me, right?" Touma rubbed the back of his head. "Besides; it ended up being Shirai-san who caused me to get sick, and well…" He poked his fingers together. "I couldn't move or barely see… but I could hear just fine."
"Really?" Misaki asked.
"Yeah and… well, no one has stood up to Fukiyose for me before… especially not so firmly, so…"
He was blushing. Were his past experiences with that girl so traumatic that simply sticking up for him left such a big impression? J-just what had Fukiyose done to him in the past!?
"S-so… erm…" He fumbled his words a little. "…Mikoto, Misaki, thank you very much!"
Both girls flushed red. It was that easy!? They both had the right mind to march right over to that forehead girl and inquire about what exactly she had done to him… with forceful extraction of the answers being a distinct possibility.
But… it seemed like they succeeded in their mission? Kind of? They had both wished it had been a different way, of course, but it seemed like it was a situation where everyone had won in some way.
…Well, not a certain twin-tailed teleporter, but the less said about her in this instance, the better.
After it was all said and done, Mikoto took a deep breath and suddenly announced, "Shokuhou; I need to talk to you."
"Hmm?" She blinked. "What do you want with me?"
"I need to know something…" She pointed toward the unlucky Kamijou. "Just how exactly do you know him? It can be in private, but I want to know, understand?"
"…What brought this on?" The blonde suddenly looked serious.
"A lot of things you did today don't add up. It's almost like you behave completely differently when he's around, and I want to know why."
"Sorry, but I must decline answering. Those are private thoughts that are locked away behind my memory-ability. I have no interest in sharing my intimate memoirs with you, Misaka-san."
Touma looked back and forth for a little bit before focusing on the Railgun. "I can tell you if you want, Mikoto."
"E-eh!?" Misaki nearly fell. "K-K-Kami- Touma-san!" She caught herself, but the honorific slipped through. "P-please don't go sharing a girl's secrets!"
"I feel like this is the first step for you two to move forward and become friends," Touma remarked. "I have the distinct feeling that those memories are exactly why you carry such animosity toward Mikoto, after all…"
The chestnut-brown haired girl blinked a few times. "Was that actually it?" she wondered. Now that she had thought about it, they never really interacted prior to last year, despite being in the same grade and having a few shared classes. It was only really when she started chasing the unlucky Kamijou that she started messing with her…
"I-I… uh…" Misaki felt like she was falling apart at the seams.
"It's an ojou-sama's job to make sure they get along with their peers, right?" Touma blinked.
"Y-you're absolutely right… I'm s-sorry…" She genuinely felt like crying, and it was taking every part of her body to avoid letting her eyes water. Mikoto barely managed to avoid smirking at her, as she remembered when they taunted each other earlier.
"…That actually reminds me," Touma crossed his arms. "I need to punish you two, don't I?"
"…? What do you- e-eh!?" Mikoto shrieked when the spiky haired boy turned toward her and took off his sunglasses. Almost immediately the girl's normally modest chest began to jump up in size rapidly. Since they had shifted to their fall/winter uniforms, it didn't take long for her swelling bust to pop a button off the front of her blazer, shortly followed by her button-up blouse, putting a good amount of cleavage on display.
"I-is this really necessary now of all times!?" Mikoto was flushed red.
"I never said you were absolved of your crimes, now did I?" Touma deadpanned as he continued looking at her, causing her engorged chest to swell out even further, taking out more buttons from her top. If she got any larger, it'd show something obscene, but the unlucky Kamijou didn't let up regardless.
Misaki fidgeted a little as she watched. "Erm… T-Touma… shouldn't what you're making me tell her count as-!"
"Nope."
"K-kyaaaa!" Misaki cried out as she found herself being the next victim of Touma's Bust Upper when he shifted his attention. Her outfit was more accustomed to her normally large chest, but even it fell to the honey blonde's swelling bust before long. As she was in a matching uniform, she too was rendered with her soft femininity in full view of the world… or at least it would if there were more people watching.
After that, he put his sunglasses back on. Due to Touma focusing on the blonde less, the two girls were actually around the same size; something neither party imagined to be even remotely possible.
"This is Absolutely necessary, you know. I have to make sure you two learn your lesson somehow!" Touma remarked. "You two being blown up to ridiculous sizes and having to walk about into Tokiwadai like that would be a good enough punishment for you two, right?"
Touma was the one looking smug right now. In frustration, Mikoto looked toward Misaki, and slowly, the two nodded. Before long, the unlucky Kamijou felt the weight of two girls on top of him as the two climbed up onto the nurse's bed. Their next few statements were spoken in unison.
"Do your worst, Touma!"
He immediately flushed red. "E-eh!? You two are working together again!?"
"Don't underestimate the power of two maidens in love!"
"I-isn't this the same thing that got you in trouble before!? W-wait, don't touch that! T-that's mine! Put those back! H-hey, hold off for a second here! M-my heart can't take thiiiiiisssssss!"
And thus, Touma learned a valuable lesson…
…He wasn't dealing with your typical middle school girls anymore.
And here we are at the bottom!
Not a whole lot to say this time, aside from pointing out more than a few references to the continuity of this story! Did you find them all?
I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review at your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.
Have a good day, my friends!
Sincerely,
ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.
